Learning through specimens
Kunz developed his expertise largely through his own study. His knowledge of minerals led to a long career with Tiffany & Company, together with work for the United States Geological Survey and the American Museum of Natural History. He helped assemble the Morgan-Tiffany gem collection and worked towards the adoption of an international carat as a standard measure.
His surviving papers document a profession built on correspondence as well as specimens. Researchers, dealers and collectors wrote about identifying minerals, acquiring stones and explaining their properties. Kunz took an interest in the effects of radiation on gemstone colours, while his publications carried the history and lore of gems to readers outside those professional exchanges.
The stories a stone can carry
The Curious Lore of Precious Stones moves from amulets and carved gems to crystal gazing and religious uses. Its illustrations let readers compare star sapphires and cat’s-eyes before turning to objects fashioned from stone. The Magic of Jewels and Charms continues the inquiry into ornament and belief. Kunz sometimes tests the stories he repeats. In an account of an imperial medallion supposedly changed from silver into gold, a reported measurement of specific gravity complicates the claim. His curiosity about a jewel includes both its material properties and the history of what people said it could do.
